Alex Szczechura was the ringleader on an Ohio State hockey line that combined for 11 points in a win last week, but modest almost to a fault, he treated it as ancient history as the Buckeyes prepared to play Michigan tonight and Saturday in the last homestand of the regular season.

The Buckeyes (13-12-7, 12-7-5-1) are tied for fourth place in the Central Collegiate Hockey Association.

“We’re coming down to the last four games of the regular season, and we want to finish strong headed into the playoffs,” Szczechura said. “So this weekend is very important for us.”Coming off his first career hat trick in a win over Western Michigan in which linemates Tanner Fritz and Max McCormick also excelled, Szczechura’s focus was on the team. Coach Mark Osiecki saw that as proof that the program is headed in the right direction, a bearing he expects to be maintained with Michigan coming to Value City Arena tonight in a game to be televised by the Big Ten Network

“For us it doesn’t matter who we’re playing. Our guys have been very good at staying focused and very businesslike this season,” Osiecki said. “You can see that every day in practice. You don’t have to say much to them at all.

“On the flip side of that, all you have to do is understand who we’re playing and what they stand for, and what Red (Berenson, Michigan coach) has done with that program. It’s been phenomenal.”

Yet Michigan (10-18-2, 7-15-2-2) has struggled with goaltending this season, leading to an inconsistent defense. Ohio State, on the other hand, is tied for eighth in the nation in team defense, giving up just 2.2 goals per game.

So as Osiecki pushed his team through practice yesterday, the message was about taking it up another notch, just as it has been all season.

“It’s more of building on what we’re doing,” Osiecki said. “That’s what we’ve tried to focus on for three years, and less on the outside, whoever we’re playing, and any outside influences.

“Our guys have done a really nice job with that, and it’s hard to explain that, but we’ve tried to just focus on what we need to do. For us coming in and building the foundation, it had to start there. Once we get that to a certain level, then you can start picking away at what’s coming at us.”

Which goes back to Osiecki’s point about what’s different for the Buckeyes in his third season.

“Maturity,” the coach said. “That was our hurdle. You look at last year, it was how to handle winning, and that’s hard. You read and hear the media, talk to your friends and girlfriends, how are you going to handle that? We had to go through that last year.

“I think our guys have understood that this year, and it’s helped us. We’ve matured as a group, matured as a locker room. Even though we’re extremely young and have only four seniors, these kids are mature now, and they are finding their own way.”